Typhoon Podul made its second landfall along the coast of Zhangpu County in east China's Fujian Province just after midnight on Thursday, according to the Fujian provincial meteorological observatory.
Podul was classified as a severe tropical storm at the time of its latest landfall, with maximum sustained winds reaching 30 meters per second near its center.
The typhoon, which made its first landfall in Taitung County in China's Taiwan region on Wednesday afternoon, is expected to bring strong winds and heavy rainfalls across Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, and Guizhou. Meteorologists say the typhoon would weaken after its second landfall in Fujian.
Before the arrival of Podul, security cameras at a photovoltaic power station in Zhangzhou City which administers Zhangpu County showed heavy rains descending on with strong winds gusting over 13 meters per second.
The typhoon gained strength as it approached the coast of Fujian, with wind speeds in Xiamen nearing 30 meters per second on early Thursday morning.
Across the city, multiple districts reported over 50 millimeters of rainfall within 24 hours.
Power supply in Xiamen was also affected, with local emergency services dispatching over 660 personnel and more than 100 emergency vehicles to restore power to homes and businesses.
In Shishi City, seaside scenic spots were all closed and over 7,200 residents were evacuated to safe places ahead of the typhoon's arrival.
Typhoon Podul makes 2nd landfall in east China's Fujian
China's Commerce Minister Wang Wentao met with visiting German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Beijing on Monday, and called on German companies to seize opportunities and deepen cooperation with Chinese partners in traditional and emerging sectors.
Wang noted that economic and trade cooperation between China and Germany has helped both sides develop industrial integration, interconnected markets, and complementary technologies, stabilizing and deepening bilateral relations, while also promoting the healthy development of China's trade and economic relations with the European Union (EU).
"We welcome German companies to seize new opportunities, consolidate cooperation in traditional sectors including machinery, automobiles, and chemicals, and tap the potential for cooperation in emerging businesses such as clean energy, intelligent manufacturing and biopharmaceuticals," said Wang.
Wang also noted that the current trend of politicizing trade and economic issue is on the rise, and global industrial and supply chains are being severely disrupted as a result. China and Germany, as well as China and the EU, should uphold free trade and safeguard the multilateral trading system with the WTO at its core, Wang said.
Wadephul said Germany opposes protectionism and considers China its most important trading partner. He added that Germany wants to maintain and expand the positive momentum of cooperation.
"China is a driver of innovation and a major hub for high technology in many aspects. We are very keen to maintain exchanges with China both economically and scientifically," said Wadephul.
China and Germany are the world's second and third biggest economies. According to German data, China was once again Germany's largest trading partner in the first three quarters of this year.
China’s commerce minister meets with German FM, calling for deepening cooperation
